Improvement in the manufacture of paper



whit/Ell $121M strut Qtjiiiiw.

Letters Patent No. 94,131, detailing 21x24, 1869; a'ntedated August 17,1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE or-v PAPER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.-

To all whom z't may concern Be it known that I, J on): B. READ, of thetown and county of Tuscaloosa, and State of Alabama, have discovered theapplicability of the stalks of the cotton-plant, (G0ssypium,) includingthe fibrous, the ligneous portion, and the pith of the entirc plant, tothe manufacture of paper, pcqlier-mach, &c., the whole plant to bebroken up, boiled, and beaten together into paper-pulp, without anynecessity of previous separationof parts.

The nature of my invention consists in so breaking up and grindingtogether the fibrous, 'th'e ligneous portion, and the pith of the entirecotton-plant (Gossypmm) as to furnish a uniform mass, readily availablefor the manufacture'of paper, plqrier-mach, ac, whether used alone or incombination with other materials.

The stalks of the dili'erent species of the cotton-plant are allavailable for the above purpose, and are so claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make use of my discovery, I willproceed to describe how it is to be put into practice.

The stalks of the cotton-plant above may be used for paper-making, atany time after their maturity and the gathering of the crop of cotton,but by delaying the collection of the stalks till winter or spring, theywill be drier and more readily broken up, bleached, 8m r The stalks .ofthe cotton-plant are to be pulled up by the roots or out off close tothe ground, and left to dry in the sun for a few days. I

The next step is to pass the stalks through the ordinary rope-cutter ofthe paper-mills, which will so cut and break the stalks to fit them forbeing readily handled, and acted upon by chemicals or plain water duringthe boiling-process.

Where the stalks are large it may be necessary to crush them, by passingthem through rollers before subjecting them to cutting.

After the stalks have been properly out or crushed,

they are to be boiled, in any ordinary boiler, from ten to twelve hours,at from sixty to eighty pounds pressure per square inch, in water,lime-water, or limewater rendered caustic by carbonate of soda.

After boiling, the stalks are'to be passed into the washing-,engine,washed, beaten into half stufl, and bleached with chloride of lime, asusual.

The mass will then be ready for the finishing-em gine, and, afterafew-hours trituriijtionfmay vbe made into paper on the ordinarypaper-machine.

' I am .awarefthat a process for making paper from the bark of thecotton-plant was patented by Mr. G. F. Sturgis, March 31, 1857 but thismode of making paper from the cotton-plant disclaimedj The mode ofmanufacture which I have proposed is essentially different, and isclaimed the only feasible process of rendering the cotton-plantavailable for paper-making.

What I claim as'lny'discovery, and desire to secure by. -LettersPate'nt,is V The applicabilityvof the stalks of the different species of thecotton-plant, (Gossypirmn) including the fibrous, the ligneous portion,and the pith of the entire plant, to the manufacture of paper,papier-maclzi, and its compounds, thewhole to be crushed, boiled, andateu together, and made into paper or paperpnl substantially as hereindoscribed.

' JOHN B. READ.

\Vitnesses Hon. 1*. Bnowx,

C. Bns'roR. l

